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AFL star Jurrah fined for drink driving

Liam Jurrah has been fined $1,100 plus a $903.60 impounding fee, and banned from driving for two years. (file photo)

AAP: Xavier La Canna

Former AFL player Liam Jurrah has been fined more than $1,000 over drink driving charges in Adelaide.

The case was finalised in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court in Jurrah's absence because it could not connect a videolink to the Northern Territory, where he is being held on unrelated matters.

The court heard Jurrah was caught driving with a blood alcohol reading more than five times the legal limit at Para Hills in Adelaide's north in January.

The court heard police noticed he was drowsy with bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.

His lawyer, Joanna Caracoussis, urged leniency, saying Jurrah's life in the AFL took some adjustment, and his competing responsibilities got the better of him.

"It did take him some time to settle into the new way of life in Melbourne, having come from a traditional tribal community. He was quite a young man he followed his love of football to a big city," she said.

"He spent the past few years balancing the obligations of his community which is obviously ongoing with the obligations in AFL football.

"He found it hard to balance the two lives.

"Balancing that, or the lack thereof, has lead to Mr Jurrah finding himself in the trouble he is in.

"He is determined to return to football in some capacity.

"He wants to give back to the community that gave so much to him."

But magistrate Paul Foley said the blood alcohol reading of 0.260 was a serious breach of the road rules.

"In my view this is a reasonably serious example of this type of offending," he said.

"It doesn't take any leap of imagination to form the view that alcohol has become a significant issue for Mr Jurrah."